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Helping Others Is A Great Way To Help Yourself
Ten years ago was a very difficult time in my life. I had a lot of time to reflect and put my own needs in perspective. My experience with that stress gave me coping skills that I want to share with you in today’s difficult times.
We all have choices in life when we believe that we have hit ‘rock bottom.’ We can choose to stay at that bottom and focus on that negative energy, or we can look for the positive side and see that there is nowhere else to go, except back up to the top.
A decade ago my mother was fighting cancer. She was strong and healthy and had always focused on a healthful and active lifestyle. Why did this happen to someone who does all the right things in life, when there are so many people that do not take care of themselves and then live a longer life?
In those days, I could choose to focus on such negative thoughts about how unfair life was, or I could choose to find the positive in that situation. Spending time with my mother, taking her to doctor’s appointments, cooking her favorite meals and offering my listening ear instead created a positive spirit for both of us.
I tried to spend as much time with her as possible, giving her time to live, love and laugh. We focused on one day at a time, but also made plans for tomorrow. Keeping busy and reminiscing over the positive memories we shared, truly helped me through that very stressful time with my mother.
On top of dealing with my mother, I also had a nine year old Doberman dog that was very close to me. He had just been diagnosed with liver disease and his prognosis was not good. The added stress of my dog’s health made matters even more challenging. I still think sometimes that if it wasn’t for bad luck, I would have no luck at all! But I make an effort to snap out of this kind of thought process as quickly as possible. It serves no purpose in the long run.
The Spiritual Power Of Joy
I have decided that this year I would consciously invite more joy into my daily life. Joy is the feeling of happiness, pleasure or fulfillment that comes from having success, finding good fortune, or achieving a sense of well-being. The wonderful thing about joy is that it can be found in both large and small doses.
Joy is an enormously powerful spiritual force. Spontaneous laughter can shift a mood in an instant, and tears of joy come at moments that move us to our core. Joy is a state of mind that focuses on the present, despite our circumstances.
Joy brings renewed energy, a feeling of lightness to our body and mind. Suddenly there is enough energy to get things done that need to be done. Joy invites action, instead of procrastination, and encourages gratitude over envy, and peace over anger.
Joy lingers after the laughter and invites us to a state of mind that is peaceful, full of grace, ready to extend compassion, and find forgiveness. In a state of joy spontaneity comes easily, inspiration and intuitiveness peak, and our creativity flows.
Children are masters of demonstrating joy. They are comfortable living in the moment and not filtering out any opportunity to celebrate. They carry no baggage, or expectations. They are wonderful teachers of this powerful spiritual tool.
Anchor your soul purpose and choose conscious ways you can invite and practice joy in your daily life. Even a small dose will do, and it may lead you to seek out other experiences that resonate with your spirit and add to your experience of joy. Notice what makes you smile. Pay attention to the person, the activity or the situation that uplifts your spirit. Stop and savor the feeling.
Simplicity and joy go hand in hand, so don’t overlook the little things. Practice smiling! Smiling releases endorphins which create that sensation of relaxation and happiness.
Astrological Forecast December 21- 27, 2020
The Sun moves into Capricorn today, setting the stage for four weeks of grounded and deliberate movement. Capricorn is the sign of responsibility, security and safety, as well as the epitome of enterprise. If you’ve always dreamed of starting your own business or diving into a new creative venture, consider making your move after the first of next year.
In the meantime, this holiday week should unfold smoothly. Tuesday and Wednesday’s Aries Moon will give us the energy to get all our pre-holiday tasks completed in record time. The Moon will flow through Taurus Christmas Eve through Saturday, making for a pleasant, easy-going break. The focus will be on the people we share our time with rather than the gifts we give or receive, and bring out the true spirit of the holidays.
Sunday will be the ideal time to test out new electronics, socialize and visit with those far away, as the Gemini Moon promotes easy conversation and fun-filled activities. May your holidays be relaxing, safe and happy!
Astrological Forecast December 14 – 20, 2020
We’ve got a full parade of planetary aspects going on this week, including the Sagittarius New Moon Solar Eclipse, as well as Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury all changing signs. The Sagittarius New Moon Solar Eclipse greets us first this morning, kicking off a new six-month cycle of renewed focus, new beginnings and unexpected opportunities.
This is a powerful time to set new intentions for manifestations of abundance in your life. Sagittarius is all about justice, fairness and light-hearted fun, perfect for the holidays and New Year that is just around the corner. We may soon find ourselves immersed in speculating about what to expect from 2021, but first, there’s the holiday celebrations to contend with!
Venus moves into Sagittarius tomorrow, amplifying the holidays and social interaction. Saturn moves into Aquarius on Wednesday, urging us to break free of tradition or restrictions, and to do more of our own thing over the next six months. Jupiter will join Saturn in Aquarius on Saturday, followed by Mercury entering a more grounded Capricorn on Sunday. With all these astrological shifts occurring in one week, we can be certain that change, big change, is coming our way, heralding a promising start to the coming New Year!
To The Beat Of My Own Drum
I am in the process of moving home. While going through years of stored stuff in the attic of my old home, I found a Christmas gift that my parents gave me around the age of four. It was a little drum, intact, with sticks to play to the beat of my young heart. I am sure there were many times my parents thoroughly regretted buying a four-year-old a drum to bang on!
To my surprise, throughout the house, I also found a total of eleven more drums. All different sizes and kinds. And it is safe to say I can still make a joyful noise with each one (although my family might consider this debatable).
In the summer we spend a lot of time at Camp Etna, one of the spiritualist camps here in Maine. We have two small cottages here – one that we live in, and another I use as my office. Some of the drums I found are kept in the office cottage, for my clients to enjoy.
Why the obsession with drums, you may ask? Well, drumming has always been a form of great stress relief for me. You can release pent up emotions, by beating the drum as hard or soft as you wish. It feels good to express yourself through the primal beat. Moving to the sound of the beat seems to make doing most tasks easier. Drumming is just plain old-fashioned fun, and people around the world have been moving to the sound of drums since the beginning of time.
Drums are also a very useful spiritual tool. In energy work, for example, I use drums to get in touch with the heartbeat. We also host a drumming circle here, at least once a week. Young and old come out to participate, and everyone in the area is invited. It is a spiritual activity that helps to unite the community. One person sets the intention, and the beat for the circle, and then all join in. It is wonderful to see the smiles and joy the drumbeat brings to faces.
Anyone can learn to play the drum. With people being at home much more these days, if you have always had the desire to learn to play and instrument, it is a good time to try the drums. With all the information technology we have these days, there are many courses and tutorials available online for one to learn drumming techniques in the comfort of your home.
How To Be Patient In Times Of Crisis
Just about every day, we face some sort of obstacle, delay in communication, or a situation that doesn’t go our way. And in times of an unexpected crisis, our first response is too assume the worst, or panic.
Negative feelings can creep up and overtake the mind, sending us into fits of rage, sadness or disillusionment, due to the lack of patience in surrendering our control and allowing those emotions to pass with total acceptance.
When we become impatient, our entire being is out of balance and the auric energy field becomes muddy and chaotic. Agitation and strain then become the primary motivator, and there is a loss of self-awareness within.
Impatience never makes things happen faster, or better, and the worst way this can manifest is when we try to force an issue, or get a person to instantly say yes, or go along with our vision.
Whenever impatience or uncomfortable feelings arise, it’s vital to make a conscious effort to redirect that negativity and nip it in the bud, so you can stay calm during the toughest times. Here are some strategies to help alleviate impatience when your feeling triggered.
Breathing
Take several deep breaths from your stomach and exhale out the stress, focusing on your third eye as you release your breath. Think of something funny or inspirational so you don’t unleash unnecessary aggression.
Home Is Still Where The Heart Is
This is a traumatic, stressful time in history for many of us, especially since there is so much confusing news and information to process and assimilate. We can, however, do a number of things during this extremely stressful period to make our lives easier, instead of cowering under the bed until it all blows over. Most importantly, we can choose to face reality with gratitude, courage and fortitude.
There should be precautions put into place certainly, but also there should be some joy and happiness, as well as planning for the future. We should be taking advantage of this blissful and happy downtime inside the place where we usually love, hope and live – inside our personal domicile, our home.
Never before have we had such ample opportunity to get to know our loved ones in a more intimate and connected way. Never before have we been reminded so deeply of the many reasons we have to be thankful for. This is a unique time in our lives, during which we can teach our children, as well as each other, that what appears to be a bleak and dire moment can certainly be turned around and changed into one of joy, appreciation and merriment.
Instead of sitting around feeling miserable, many parents have, for example, been contriving makeshift toys, contraptions and activities to help children continue to be happy and carefree, as they should be, whether it be indoors, or in their own backyard.
There are also many adults who are taking advantage of this ‘alone time’ to reconnect, not only with others whom they may have been unintentionally neglecting, but also getting to know and understand themselves on a deeper level.